


Quantum Flux

by Jaquii94



Category: Captain America (Movies), Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fix-It, Gen, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Science, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, quantum physics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-09-13
Packaged: 2020-09-25 01:14:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20368204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaquii94/pseuds/Jaquii94
Summary: ***ENDGAME SPOILERS***When Peter Parker blipped back, he wasn't prepared for the ultimate sacrifice needed to defeat Thanos in the final battle. Unwilling to live in a world without Tony Stark, Peter decides to travel back to the beginning of that final, fateful battle with Dr. Strange's help.But something went wrong. Blasted by quantized energy, Peter travels back in time in the midst of the Avenger's Civil War. Somehow his past self switched places with him and was left in molecular disequilibrium. Now he's stuck in 2016 with a broken Time GPS and a fractured Avengers. Peter's 2016 self is stuck in his present. And he has to somehow convince the world's mightiest Avengers to work together and defeat Thanos. All while trying to figure out how to get back to his present





	1. The Present Struggle

When half the universe blipped back there was chaos. The realization of time lost and a world moved on from where they had last left it was difficult to swallow. The initial racing heart fueled by disorientation as one absorbed the familiar, yet obviously and drastically changed surroundings. For what felt like minutes-- _ seconds _ , even--was truly 5.5 years time. But at the end of the day, they were alive and  _ safe _ . 

The memory of what felt like moments before was quite fresh. For most, it felt like a tickle, if anything at all. It was seeing yourself become particulate and fade away that triggered the fear and hysteria. The sheer helplessness of deatomizing is unfathomable and terrifying. There was a brief sense of darkness before bodies were suddenly reappearing in the streets, schools, apartments, churches, offices, you name it. They were  _ alive _ . 

But Peter Parker...well he had a more developed and  _ nuanced _ sensory system. He felt himself disintegrate on a deeper, molecular level that he hadn’t fathomed possible. It had started with a deep pit in the stomach; that foreboding sense of bone chilling dread with your hairs standing on end. A mild itchy and insidious creepy-crawler sensation moved through his skin and intensified as seconds passed. It progressed to the point that he thought his cells were exploding. He didn’t want it to end this way, but it was too much. He couldn’t handle the sensations any more.

“I’m sorry,” Peter whispered to a disbelieving and grief-stricken Tony Stark as he faded away into nothingness.

He was briefly aware of darkness before jolting awake. It’s kind of like when you’ve fallen asleep and you’re suddenly falling without a parachute. Every millisecond you’re getting closer and closer to lethal impact and right before you hit the ground, you wake up with a start.

Peter Parker’s body recalibrated relatively quickly and reconfigured itself into a defensive, crouched fighting stance before the boy could reorient himself.  _ Titan. Thanos _ .  _ Ashes.  _ He was on Titan fighting Thanos when they had suddenly…. Suddenly he wasn't so sure what happened. He scanned his surroundings and spotted the bodies of the guardians slowly showing signs of life.  _ Losing to Thanos would be a more accurate assessment _ , Peter thought.  _ Where did Mr. Stark and the blue lady go?  _

Peter scanned behind him and found Strange, having more or less gathered himself, extending a friendly hand to Peter as he spoke. “It’s been five years. We have one more battle to fight today. No time to waste. Let’s go.” 

Peter took his outstretched hand and allowed himself to be hauled to his feet. _Huh...that was nice of him._ _Wait--did he say 5 years??_

Strange began his energy consolidating technique. No doubt it took extraneous amounts of energy to generate a portal to traverse from one galaxy to another. 

“Uh...Mr. Strange?” Peter started, almost timidly. “Did you say it's been 5 years? What happened to us?”

“Did I stutter?” replied Strange without even sparing him a glance as three other portals opened and quickly closed. 

_ Damn, dude. He had just asked a question... _

Through each of the three portals came a Dr. Strange that merged with the original while he continued on constructing a portal to where this final battle would be. Sparking with a golden condensed energy of countless joules, a portal stabilized. 

“What the hell just happened?” Asked a now cognizant Star Lord, aka Peter Quill. 

Drax could be heard muttering to himself about the strangeness of it all as he got to his feet. Mantis held her head and hadn't quite gotten up yet. She had felt something strange happening. There was fear-- _ terror  _ really--and confusion. Now there was wide spread confusion and a deep sense of urgency. Especially coming off of--Mantis swiveled her head searching for the direction of the strong feeling before settling onto the wizard-- _ him _ . He stared right back at her before moving his gaze over to her right and then left, where Drax and Quill stood, respectively. 

“If I could have your attention,” annunciated Dr. Strange. “I'll say this  _ once _ . It's been 5 years. We have one last battle against Thanos to fight through this portal.” Strange pointed behind himself. “Time to go.”

Drax could be heard yawning as Mantis rose to her feet. 

“Another chance to fight Thanos?  _ Hell yeah _ !” said Quill as he brought a finger to just behind his right ear. A mask materialized across his face. He boosted up and through the portal as Drax and Mantis made their way towards its entrance. 

“I will make Thanos cry as I cut him to pieces,” muttered Drax before walking through while clutching his knives in each hand. 

Peter could see Earth’s familiar blue sky through the portal and... a war torn landscape underneath. The shrapnel and building remnants created a post apocalyptic scene. Too reminiscent of Titan to be frank.  _ What had happened? _

He quickly shot a web at a looming piece of spaceship between himself and the portal. He propelled himself forward, swinging through to an unfamiliar Earth. 

Luckily, they wouldn't be alone this time as more than a dozen massive portals allowed fighter after fighter through onto the battlefield. Peter had joined the lineup of the biggest legion of superheroes and warriors the world had ever seen.  _ This time they wouldn't be alone.  _

He went into a deep lunge position as Quill advised anyone around that was listening to warm up their butt cheeks so they wouldn't pull a muscle. 

Peter glanced around.  _ But where was Mr. Stark? _

“Avengers!” Rang Captain America’s voice. 

_ I don’t have time to think about that right now. Get ready. This is it.  _

“Assemble.”

Then they were running towards an angry horde of disgusting and fearsome aliens. 

The battle itself was a rush of adrenaline and existing second to second, just trying not to die. Web up an enemy here, electric web an enemy there. Then he finally remembered about instant kill mode. But even that wasn't enough because once he had the gauntlet in hand, he had become the main target to eradicate. Fire rained down on them as photon blast after photon blast exploded and deformed the landscape. He was certain he was about to die... _ again.  _

And suddenly the tides shifted. He could breathe and a woman blazing in golden energy landed in front of him, relieving him of the stone encrusted gauntlet. Then somehow Tony had the stones. And Peter wasn't prepared for Tony's ultimate sacrifice. 

_ We had  _ won _ . Hadn't we?  _ And yet this victory left a stale taste in his mouth. Rung hollow in his chest. He wasn't ready for Mr. Stark to go. 

He watched with tear filled eyes as the arc reactor in his chest blinked out. Pepper was pressing a final farewell kiss to his temple. 

Peter would never forget the utter stillness of Tony's face. The way his mouth hung open just enough for his teeth to separate a little. Glassy eyes staring out into the void and yet unseeing. Tony had always been one to maintain appearances. In his final moments he let go and finally relaxed as he passed on. An otherwise unseen expression of pure exhaustion gracing his features. 

Time after that went by in a blur. He ended up at some house by a lake. Turns out Tony actually went domicile and started a family. And apparently Tony considered  _ him _ \--Peter Parker--a part of that family. There was an extra bedroom just for him and everything. That knowledge only twisted the knife in his gut. 

Peter was numb and the adrenaline pumping wildly through his veins was finally tapered. His adrenals were shot and exhaustion was setting in. 

Peter was filthy, bruised, and blood stained from battle. His hair was soaked with sweat and caked with dirt and dust. While nothing penetrated the nanotech of his suit, he could feel the underlying fatigue of his body and the aches and pains of being physically bombarded and battered. Bruises would be blossoming over his abdomen, arms, legs...just everywhere really. Peter just wanted to sleep now. As he collapsed on the bed he wanted to rest. But at the same time, he was afraid. Afraid of seeing and reliving the battle and Tony's death all over again. His body won the internal struggle as his eyes fell shut and he was asleep. 

———

**Mid-October 2023**

There had been a two week lapse between everyone being Snapped back into existence and school officially starting again. Apparently the schools needed to reorganize themselves for the returned students and faculty. Which makes sense and also allowed students and faculty alike to locate their families and find places to live again if their residences had been assumed by those that were left behind. Peter and May had been displaced from their apartment and they were now settling in to a new place in Queens, not too far away from their past residence. 

May sat in the driver’s seat with Peter in the passenger seat. He took a deep breath and a long exhale. He had to face everyone again since...well everything really. Titan. Thanos. The final battle upstate.  _ Tony’s funeral. _ Last time he saw them all was on the school bus. It felt like a lifetime away. How does he go back and pretend he’s just like another dusted student? Someone without the physical and emotional scars of battle?  _ War. Explosions. Death... _

May must’ve seen the apprehension on Peter’s pale face. “Sweetie, if you’re not feeling up to school today we can go back to the apartment and just relax or continue unpacking. Whatever you want to do. Just let me know.” She tucked a stray hair behind Peter’s ear affectionately. 

Peter paused for a second. That sounds nice...like  _ really nice _ . He took another deep breath. But at the same time it’s a total cop out and he needed to just get this over with. “No. It’s ok. I’ll be ok. I have to do this sometime right? Why not now? Especially since you already drove me all the way here…” he ended awkwardly. “I promised Ned I’d be here anyway. So don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine. I’m sure it will all be fine.” Peter was definitely trying to convince himself as much as he was May. 

“Okay. As long as that’s what you want. You know I larb you.” She smiled. 

Peter was kind of grateful that May had disappeared like he had so she didn’t have to live these past years by herself. Losing Ben had been hard enough, but then losing Peter too? That would be too much on anyone. 

“Are you gonna…” she trailed off, pointing behind him towards the school building. She looked at him expectantly. 

“Oh yeah. Right.” Peter scrambled to grab the book bag between his legs and placed his hand on the door handle. He stepped out of the car and before closing the passenger door, leaned back in towards May. “I’ll be okay. I...larb you too.” He smiled at her, albeit a little sadly from her perspective. The corners of his mouth were upturned, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

He shut the door and turned around towards the front entrance.  _ Here we go. _

He walked into the school building slowly, taking in the familiar, yet new surroundings. Students bustled by him and teachers were struggling to ensure everything went smoothly on everyone’s official day back.

He spotted Ned off to his right and approached. Upon meeting they both instinctively went for their special handshake before bringing it in for a hug. No words needed to be said as they held their hug for a moment, completely relieved the other had survived. It had really only been 15 days for them, but it had been far too long since they each had seen their best friend. 

“Hey, dude. How’re you holding up?” Asked Ned as they let go of each other. 

“Alright, I guess.” Peter shrugged, not really wanting to talk, but more than willing to just listen. Ned seemed to pick up on his vibe as they walked to homeroom.

“It was crazy after you left. Everyone was huddled towards the back of the bus staring at the spaceship. They started making bets whether or not we were being invaded by a hostile species. We had just gotten to MoMa when we saw the ship beam something up and then take off. It was really weird. Do you know anything about that?” Ned had been rambling and then paused for a moment, seeing Peter’s drawn face. 

Peter swallowed. His mouth had gone a little dry when Ned had mentioned the beam. Everything had just happened so fast after he, Mr. Stark, and the wizard were on the ship and then Titan. And then the way those.. hideous space dogs were everywhere, overrunning and overwhelming most things in their path. There had just been so many...

“Or...uh… Or we could talk about that some other time. Uh...how are you and May settling into your new place?” Ned asked quickly, changing subjects. “Like your new room and stuff?”

His new room? “Uh...it’s alright I guess. It’s about the same size as before but the window gets stuck which is a tad inconvenient for...you know.”  _ Spider-Man…-ing.  _ Not that he’d been out yet anyway since...everything happened. But he would be ready soon enough, he was sure. “Pepper and…” Peter swallowed. “—Tony had salvaged most of the items from our apartment and kept it in storage for us. Apparently he kept it ‘just in case.’”

He hasn't gone through all the items yet. Whenever he tries, it feels like he's going through someone else's things. Another person's life. Someone who hasn't felt the pain of being torn apart. Someone who still had Tony Stark in his life. 

School was slow and boring. He kept his head down. Other students around him were way too chipper for his liking. Too energetic and happy. Peter was just tired. Too tired to deal with all of this. But he spoke and attempted to be normal when called upon by a teacher or another student. Have to keep up appearances and all that. 

It was finally the last class of the day, Robotics. He and Ned were tinkering with a small roomba looking Device at the furthest corner of the classroom. Peter wasn't really paying attention and just moving more on autopilot when he started to smell something burning. 

“Uh...Peter. Whatever you just did. I don't think it worked.” Ned eyed the now smoking device warily. 

Peter became suddenly more cognizant and inspected the robot. He went to touch a portion of it before rapidly pulling his hand away. The device had burnt him with his skin red at the fingertips. The metal was  _ way  _ too hot to the touch. It started to turn orange and then red and began releasing more smoke. 

_ Shit. This things gonna blow.  _ Peter reacted quickly by flipping the table over and using it as a barricade as the device exploded between the wall and the table. The light above them shorted out with a loud pop. 

The actual explosion was pretty small, but loud enough to attract the attention of everyone in the room. Or the rest of the room really as the table being flipped made quite a loud sound as well. Peter was curled in a ball, protecting his head. Ned was just kinda crouched and peeked over the table to look at the black and short circuited machine. 

Peter’s heart was pounding in his ears and racing in his chest. Peter felt like he was back on the battlefield being bombarded by missile after missile from Thanos’ spaceship. There had been a single explosion by a small device and logically he recognized this. Thanos was gone. His army was gone. But he couldn't shake the feeling--the dreaded anticipation of another explosion coming at him. But this time to kill him all over again. He had to brace himself for the inevitable impact...

“Are you okay, Peter?” asked his teacher, who was crouched down at his level. 

_ You're fine, Peter. Breathe. You're safe. You got this. You got this. Deep breath. Breathe.  _

He opened his eyes and slowly lowered his arms that were hiding his face to look at his worried teacher’s face. “H-hi, there, Mr. Conway. I-I’m okay. Just overreacted a bit. Wasn't sure how big the explosion was gonna be--n-not that I was trying to make it explode or anything. That was just an accident. I swear. But uh...Sorry about the table. I'll fix it?” 

His teacher could see the worn look on Peter's face and the exhaustion in his eyes. Peter Parker was clearly not okay. But he wasn't about to pry into his life and especially not in front of the entire class. “It's fine. As long as you and Ned are not hurt in anyway. But speaking of the table...how  _ did  _ you manage to flip it? These things are nailed to the floor.” 

_ Shit. I hadn't even noticed that,  _ thought Peter as he got to his feet. “Uhhh...I guess the nails were old and rusty?”

“They were installed last week.”

_ Double shit.  _ “Umm...it must've been an adrenaline rush or something then. I-I don't know.” Peter really needed to work on his excuses. It sounded lame even to his ears. “Do you want me to clean this up?” he asked, trying to redirect the conversation. 

“Don't worry about it, Peter. I'll take care of it while you go get cleaned up. Ned, if you'd go with him?”

“Yeah, yeah. Totally. I got Peter, Mr. Conway,” Stammered Ned. He looked at Peter with concern. 

Peter hated to be looked at with such a pitiful gaze. 

_ Riiinngg! _

_ Saved by the bell,  _ Peter thought. He stooped to pick up his backpack, “Really, I’m fine, Mr. Conway. I appreciate the concern, but I’m really fine. Uh...see you later?”

He and Ned escaped into the hallway while students milled through and around them. 

“Dude...can I ask what that was about?” prompted Ned once they reached Peter’s locker. Peter knew he had to tell him sometime and he really should talk to someone about it. That was supposedly the healthy thing to do, according to Aunt May, even if it wasn’t with her.

“Yeah, Parker,” rang an annoyingly familiar voice. “What’s your deal? Heard you went psycho in last period.”

“Not today, Flash.” Peter slammed his locker shut even though he had literally just opened it a second earlier. He was not in the mood to deal with Flash Thompson today. 

“What? You gonna get in the fetal position again and cry?” Flash pulled out his phone and after a few swipes, flipped it around for Peter and Ned’s viewing pleasure. “I got this great photo to commemorate your meltdown.” 

The image displayed Peter with his eyes squeezed shut and curled onto himself behind the lab table. Only Ned’s backside could be seen as he was kneeling and peering over the table. 

“Really, Flash?” started Ned. “After everything we’ve been through, you’re still gonna be an ass?” 

A crowd had started to form around them of interested students. Can’t miss the first fight of the school year, right?

“What?” asked Flash, unfazed. “Just because we disappeared for 5 years, I’m supposed to be a changed person? It’s not like anyone remembers being gone. Look--I’ll admit disintegrating was pretty scary, but it didn’t hurt or anything. And then we were back.” He snapped his fingers. “Just like that.”

When Flash snapped his fingers, Peter’s final modicum of self-restraint also snapped. He was suddenly holding a wide-eyed Flash against the lockers, with his forearm against the bully’s jugular. “Don’t you  _ dare _ do that around me again. You think I’m kidding, but don’t fuck with me, Flash. I won’t hold back again.”

He released him and turned to walk away. He needed to get out of there. Away from petty teenage bullshit. His spider sense tingled as he felt a hand grab him from behind. He quickly grabbed the aggressor’s arm with his own and twisted it behind Flash, pushing him face first into the lockers. “Be more fucking grateful that you came back at all. You have  _ no idea _ what we went through to make sure everyone was safe.” With a simple twist he could easily fracture the kid’s arm. “Or what we lost. And  _ Tony-- _ .” Peter cut off.  _ Oh God, Tony. Goddammit. Fuck crying. Fuck tears. And  _ fuck _ all these emotions.  _ He wouldn’t want this for him. He was being too rash. Too emotional. He had to watch his mouth.

“ _ We _ ?” said Flash through gritted teeth. “As if you had any part in anything.”

A more rational Peter eased his grip. “I don’t owe you any explanation, Flash. I don’t care what you think.” He shook his head. “Not anymore.” 

He let ago and walked away with Ned trailing after him. Students spread apart for him to pass through, not wanting any similar treatment just received by Flash.

They walked in relative silence to Delmar’s. Ned was uncertain where to start with his inquiry, not wanting to push any sensitive buttons, but still dying on the inside for some answers.

After they ordered their sandwiches they were at Peter’s new place, in his new bedroom. Neither of them really talked much since they left school. Peter was more lost in his thoughts and what ifs.

“So uh...first day of school since the apocalypse didn’t go too bad, huh?” said Ned.

Peter immediately shot him a look. “ _ Really, dude?” _

“You’re right, I’m sorry,” Ned instantaneously relented. “But in my defense, you know how awkward I can be and I had no idea how to get you to speak to me without me being too pushy getting you to talk in the first place.” 

Peter’s shoulders relaxed a little. Ned was right. He had been more quiet, only responding to Ned’s conversation starters with short, blunt replies, effectively ending further exploration of attempted conversation. It’s  _ Ned _ . He could relax more-- _ should  _ relax more. 

“You’re right, Ned. You don’t have to apologize. In fact,  _ I-- _ .”

“Peter, I’m gonna cut you off right there because you’re the last person who should be apologizing. I can’t even imagine what you must be going through. The last time I saw you before today you were heading off to fight against a giant alien spaceship. That’s literally  _ insane _ , dude. And then we died and came back and you fought in some crazy battle for the continued existence of  _ Earth _ . Like,  _ thank you, dude. _ That’s literally phenomenal!”

Peter felt conflicted. On one hand, Ned was right. It was pretty crazy that he can say that he has fought in a battle in an intergalactic war. On the other hand, there’s the actual memories that are associated with having fought in a battle in said intergalactic war. 

“It was pretty crazy,” Peter finally said. “I just wish I could change how it turned out though. I mean--not the getting everyone back part or the making his army vanish part, but the...losing Iron Man part,” he finished a bit lamely. Somehow saying ‘Iron Man’ was more distant than saying ‘Tony’. It stung less, if only by a little. 

“Yeah...that part... kinda sucked,” said Ned slowly.

“I can’t help but feel that I did something wrong and messed up everything. Maybe if I’d been faster by taking a different route, things would’ve ended differently. When I got the gauntlet from T’Challa… well it was a crazy ride. It all happened so fast and then I was getting overrun by these gross aliens when Cap threw Thor’s hammer. I managed to stick to it--.”

“Can I just say that I’m still in awe that you know the king of Wakanda and Captain America. Please continue.”

“So I have the gauntlet and I’m flying over the battlefield, but then...he rained fire over us.” Peter looked down at his hands, unsure where else to look. He wasn’t really seeing them anyway. He could see in his mind’s eye snapshots of events from the battle. He couldn’t shield himself from them if he tried. 

“Like missiles and stuff?” asked Ned quietly. “Or laser cannons since they’re alien, right?” he asked a little more enthusiastically. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be excited, but this is just like...a really cool conversation...so far?” 

Peter grimaced, but didn’t fault his friend. He’d probably be the same way if the roles were reversed. “Yeah. Definitely more like laser cannons. One knocked me off of Pegasus and another hit me--.”

“Omg, Peter! Are you okay??” interjected Ned, looking much less excited than a moment prior.

He winced at the memory. “Yeah. I’m okay now, but um--yeah…” He shook his head. “So I went flying and then just took cover not knowing if another beam was going to hit me straight on this time,” he said quietly. 

Ned became exceedingly less excited, and progressively more worried as his story continued. “That must’ve been terrifying, dude. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.” 

“I was right there. So close to getting the gauntlet to the van, it’s kind of ridiculous. But, anyway...the firing stopped and redirected towards the sky. Ms. Danvers came through the atmosphere and went straight through their ship. It was pretty sick actually, though the rain of shrapnel wasn’t fun. It was pretty cool to see Ms. Danvers, Pepper, Wanda, Shuri, and all these badass women join together to get the gauntlet to the van.”

Ned was a tad confused about the van bit. “Uh...can I ask why this van is so special? Is it a getaway van?”

“What? No!” he actually chuckled because that’s not an unreasonable assumption if you didn’t know that, “the van is a time machine.”

Ned blinked and stared at Peter. “I’m sorry. Did you just say that the  _ van  _ is a  _ time machine?” _

“Yeah.”   
  


“I have so many questions. Why a  _ van _ , first of all? And if it’s in vehicle form then they obviously wanted it to be portable. If so, then where do they keep moving it to and from. Why move it around at all? Isn’t that just  _ weird _ ? Like, wouldn’t you want something like a time machine locked in a secret impenetrable fortress where no one could reach it? But maybe that’s just me… I don’t know.”

_I really missed you,_ _Ned_. 

\---

Later that night after Ned fell asleep, Peter continued thinking about the battle, but with less emotional turmoil than before. Talking about it kinda helped...or kinda a lot. Having at least someone else to share his worries with. Someone who understands where he’s coming from and why. Or at least have more insight into the ‘why’ behind his annoying and weird overreactions.

In reality he knows he can’t undo the experience and the damage it caused to him. But maybe he can undo the damage it caused to the people closest to him. Maybe he could change something to keep Tony alive? He could try to repair that aspect of his life at least, right?

They had just finished repairing the time machine. He could go back to the beginning of the battle and get the stones to the van quicker this time. He could protect his past self and prevent Tony from needing to use the stones in the first place. The only problem is that he’d have to go back and actually re-experience the whole event again. He wasn’t sure if he was ready for that. 

The only way to know is if he could watch it again. If he can handle watching it again then just maybe he could relive it all and change the outcome. 

Ned was asleep on the top bunk, lightly snoring. Peter slowly got up, attempting to prevent creaks in the bed frame. He opened the drawer with the iron spider suit and pulled it out. 

The nanites ran over his skin and coagulated to form Mr. Stark’s latest design. “Karen,” whispered Peter.

“It’s been too long, Peter. Where are you taking me tonight?” voiced Karen.

“Uh...actually could you show me the footage of our most recent battle?”

“How far back do you wish to go?”

“Um...when I portal back to Earth. That’d be good. Thanks, Kare.”

_ I must’ve lost footage because this thing says the battle was only 67 minutes. There’s no way. It had to be much longer. _

“Peter? What are you doing? You patrolling tonight?” asked a sleepy Ned, rubbing his eyes. 

“No...I uh...wanted to see something real quick.” Peter wasn't sure how much he could reveal. Or how much he should. ...But this was Ned. “Actually, Ned...would you be willing to watch something with me? I totally understand if you don't. I just...think it might be easier if I didn't do it alone. You know?”

Having been lying on his stomach, Ned pushed himself up and slid off the top bunk. He landed with a soft thud. “Yeah. Of course, dude. Is it something your suit recorded?”

Peter looked down, not quite able to meet Ned's eyes even though his face was already obscured. He kinda felt like he was tricking Ned into knowing the horrors of what he faced. Was that even fair? But it's...he was sure it'd be fine. And if Ned wanted to stop at any point, then he'd continue on alone as originally planned. “I was going to watch the battle,” Peter finally explained. “I want to see where things went wrong and if there's actually a chance to fix things.”

“Peter. I'm still your guy in the chair, right? Of course, I'd watch that with you and I'll help you analyze and strategize. I always got your back, dude. Never forget that.”

Peter let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He smiled beneath the mask. “Thanks, man. I really appreciate it. I guess I could project it on the ceiling or something? We will have to keep the volume down so we don't wake up May.”

The spider symbol lit up and projected the image onto the ceiling of Thanos' entire army amidst the complete wreckage of Avenger's Compound. 

“Holy shit, dude!” whispered Ned. “You were there? Against that massive army?”

“Yeah,” said Peter a bit weakly. Staring at the screen, he could rationally fathom that perhaps the only way to stop Thanos' army was by wishing them out of existence with the stones. Perhaps he's being stupid for thinking there's another solution. Even Dr. Strange said that out of the fourteen million plus futures he'd looked at there had been only been the one where they'd won. This was supposed to be it. But...it didn't feel much like winning.  _ Not without Mr. Stark.  _

The video continued to play and noticed more than a few areas where he could improve. First off, activating instant kill mode from the get go. Peter has no idea why that took so long to happen. Perhaps maybe finding T'Challa or Clint with the gauntlet prior to their natural hand off to him? 

Ned mostly sat with his mouth hanging open with the exception of a reactionary gasp or recoil with second hand pain. He could not believe his best friend had been in this mess and survived. He was  _ really _ happy for that outcome. But seeing him get overrun with the alien space dogs, bombarded by laser blasts from an alien spaceship, among other things, was terrifying. At least Peter got to see Mr. Stark before he...well saved the universe. They deserved that. Now the question is: could they actually change any aspect of the battle to ensure they still won and preserve Mr. Stark's life?

Ned wasn't sure. But he didn't want to seem unsupportive so he said, “So there's a lot going on in there. Could we break the battle down into segments and make a timeline or sequence of events? Like break it down?”

He knew where this was headed. Ned saw the reignited fervor in Peter's eyes. The focus and precision that he watched the playback with. 

If Peter was going to leave him, then Ned was going to make damn certain that Peter was prepared when he went. There were a few technical questions still pending though.

“Also how does time travel work? Is your present self sent back to the past? Or does your consciousness go back to your past body? Can you even change the future by going to the past? Or does an alternative timeline form? Like are we taking Back to the Future time travel or Rick and Morty time travel? Because I really would hate for you to get caught in some weird time paradox and go to time prison--.”

“So I'll stop you there,” Peter chuckled. “From what I understand and what was explained to me by Dr. Banner, the time stream and reality itself is maintained by the existence of the infinity stones--.”

“But I thought Thanos destroyed the stones?” interjected Ned. 

“He did...well not completely I guess. Newton’s first law, right? Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. But Thanos apparently reduced the stones to atoms. So somewhere out there, the atoms of infinity stones exist, but there is no way to harness their power. Not in any way I’m remotely aware of anyway.” He paused. “But your present self is supposed to travel back in time. Though apparently time can also go through you and mess with your age and stuff. Maybe more...I don't know to be honest.” 

“Oh, okay, cool,” replied Ned. 

Peter exhaled and noticed that he didn’t feel as tightly wound as he did before. He felt a little lighter and freer with his newfound sense of determination as his future was no longer restricted to… well… living without Tony. He had a warm feeling in his gut that he might actually be able to pull this off.

\-------

A/N: Please let me know what you think! I greatly appreciate feedback and comments. Future chapters are already in the works!


	2. Strange Intervention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dr. Strange intervenes. Peter encounters the surviving Avengers and tries to help re-do the snap that brought everyone back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for the late update. I initially wrote this story while procrastinating studying for the MCAT. lol And since I had 3 weeks left to study, I maximized that time and had to put polishing the chapter to the side. But now I'm finished and will have more time to write! Thanks for sticking with me! :)

\------

Peter and Ned had stayed up all night watching playback by playback of The Battle of Earth, falling asleep around 4 AM. So far they had singled out specific points of where to attempt to make changes. The battle was going to play out as it did with his past self. But his present self...he could make additional changes and in the rage of battle, he really shouldn't be noticed much. The plan was to be waiting closer to the van to help Ms. Danvers deliver the gauntlet. Thanos somehow came charging from behind the van and got pushed back by Pepper and Wanda prior to throwing his double edged sword into the time vortex. It was a slim shot, but he'd have to lie in wait and be poised to receive the gauntlet with a prepared destination in his Time GPS. It could work. It _ had _ to. And as a last resort, maybe he could just steal Tony from the past and bring him to the present? 

With a kiss goodbye to Aunt May, Peter and Ned decided to walk to school that morning together. Or at least, that's what they told May. School...was important he supposed, but essentially inconsequential to what they were preparing to do. He did need to find time to nap though, because going back into a battle with a couple hours of sleep did not seem like a good idea. 

“Hey,” Peter started. “So I’d say we should stop and grab some breakfast somewhere, but I don’t want you to be late to school so...guess I’ll see you later?”

“_Dude _ ,” replied Ned. “I’m definitely down for breakfast. Also, _ fuck _ school today. This is--,” he motioned between them, “--so much more important. And we can just say that we were so excited to survive the Blip together and wanted a day to just hang out and _ chill _. I think we have at least one free pass in the midst of current events, don’t you think?”

Peter couldn’t help but grin. “Thanks for being the best, Ned.”

“Otherwise, I wouldn’t be your guy in the chair.”

\----

Later that evening, with a full stomach and polished plan, Peter made his way upstate.

Peter had never considered himself as sly, but as he snuck back upstate (clinging to the back of a semi for the majority of the trip) and onto to the lake house grounds, he thought he may consider it as a new self-descriptive term. Then again, there was that hour of jogging through farmland...so maybe not...

The recently rebuilt time machine was in the forest east of the house. Getting through the forest was a lot easier than running across farmland. Though still a lot more challenging than the city, swinging building to building. The forest wouldn’t so bad if it wasn’t for the variable branches. It was dark and it took Peter a good fall on his ass to remember that he could have Karen determine the relative branch strength prior to attempting to swing from it.

After a few minutes he made it to the clearing where the equipment sat conspicuously available for use. Granted the equipment was supposed to be moved to some secret base tomorrow, but tonight it was all his. All he needed was his voice and/or palm print to access the Friday encrypted locks. 

Peter tapped the Time GPS, activating the suit to materialize around his body. He looked down to check out the new threads, taking a moment to geek out at what he stood in. He then inserted 3 pym particles near either side of the waist. Peter went to fire up the quantum tunnel, leaving the final switch to be flicked by a strategic shot of webbing. 

He activated the suit's helmet to form around his face when he noticed a golden glimmer out of the corner of his eye. 

_ Isn't that the wizard's signature move? _

“You might want to rethink that choice,” voice Dr. Strange as he passed through the portal he'd just created. “You're going about this all wrong.”

Peter was a bit like a deer in the headlights. He was caught doing something he probably -- definitely -- shouldn't be doing. “What do you mean? I'm not doing anything,” he replied a little too quickly, pressing the Time GPS again and dematerializing the suit back within its watch sized interface. 

The Sorcerer Supreme sighed. “OK, kid. First of all, whatever you think you understand -- you're wrong,” said Strange. “If you proceed with your plan you will create a new timeline where Thanos ends up winning and Tony still dies. Time travel to the past won't alter your future.”

Peter felt his heart sink to the pit of his stomach at the warning, fearing it’s truth. “What if I bring back Tony from before the battle begins?”

“You’ll be creating a timeline where Thanos succeeds and, for all intents and purposes, Stark is still ‘dead’ in that timeline.”

The instantaneous decimation of his plan was unsettling. He hadn't thought things through. At least not as completely as necessary. 

“However…” Dr. Strange trailed off as he crossed his wrists in front of his chest, making a crooked ‘L’ shape with his first two fingers and thumb. As he slowly and meaningfully separated them, the ornate pendant around his neck also opened. From within it glowed a brilliant green gem.

Peter’s eyes widened at the discovery. “How is this possible!” he exclaimed. “I thought the stones were destroyed down to atoms!”

“They were.” Strange crossed his arms across his chest. ”But not completely, which means they still exist. The time stone, specifically, is not as constrained in the rate of its reconstitution. The atoms will always coalesce, but generally there’s a much longer time over which this occurs in regards to the other stones. And this amulet -- The Eye of Agamotto -- seems to be some sort of beacon for the time stone’s energy. It reaccumulated here the day before last--.”

“--when Cap returned the stones,” Peter interrupted accidentally. “Sorry...continue.”

Strange stared at the boy for a second before continuing. “I had suspected as much. Well my theory is that the presence of the stones from the past sparked a reaction of that stone’s particles. As if the atoms recognized its own energetic signature elsewhere in the universe and became attracted to it--.”

“Thereby expediting its reformation,” finished Peter. 

“Precisely,” confirmed the wizard. “In contrast, the other stones will continue reforming over a millennia. The reformation rate would only have been sped up by a few -- or dozen -- thousand years. In the greater infinite span of time, a millennia is like a blink of the eye.”

“Okay,” started Peter slowly. “So that means we can't use the stones now to reverse the damage to Mr. Stark. I imagine the time stone alone isn't strong enough to reverse the damage of six. If that's the case, then what do you suggest?”

“You're right that the time stone alone isn't strong enough for that. But it is strong enough to send you back in time prior to the battle beginning. The difference between your method and mine is that the time stone will selectively rewind time for any object of the wielder's choice, effectively erasing the seemingly leftover timeline.” Strange paused in thought for a moment. “Stop the Nebula that's there. She's the past version of who you met and still loyal to Thanos. That's how he and his army come through.”

“So I can stop the battle from ever happening!” Peter happily exclaimed. 

The wizard didn't directly respond. “Are you ready?” 

“Yes,” Peter responded quickly. “Actually -- wait. Why are you helping me again?”

“This was always part of the plan,” replied the wizard cryptically.

“Uh...should I keep the Time suit with me?” Peter asked nervously, starting to feel a tad uneasy with all his plans out the window and a new one seconds from commencing. 

“Yes. You're going to need it. You have a long journey ahead of you, but it's necessary for it to play out optimally.”

_ Geez, that sounds ominous. Reliving two weeks doesn't seem too long... _

Strange motioned with his hands once more, revealing the time stone. Mystic green runes encircled the wizards hands and upon their rotation, the world around them shifted. The leaves reversed their aging from mainly yellow and orange to a mix of green and yellow as the sun reversed its ascent in the sky, seemingly setting in the east and rising in the west. The quantum tunnel equipment disappeared from the clearing, leaving behind pure nature. Colors and shapes changed and danced as if Peter was within a kaleidoscope.

And as suddenly as it had started -- it ended. Time stood frozen around them. Peter observed a small bird stuck in mid-flight. Various leaves were frozen in the midst of free fall. And the sun's rays illuminated through the trees in a way that suggested it was mid-afternoon as opposed to the darkness of night that had just surrounded them. 

Peter could hear a portal sizzle open, turning quickly back to visualize it and forward to question Strange. When he flipped forward, Strange was standing just in front of him and immediately pressed his hand against the boy's chest and pushed him through a suddenly closing portal. “Good luck--,” was all Peter could hear before the portal snapped close. 

“--I won't be far behind,” finished Strange. 

\-----

Peter fell ungracefully upon his ass -- _ hard _ \-- landing on concrete floors from the unexpected push. He took in his surroundings. He was in an empty-ish warehouse looking space. There was an impressive circular looking contraption that took up a sizeable area. 

_ Is that the quantum tunnel they made? That looks a lot more legit than that ugly brown van or the mini quantum tunnel in the forest. _

Several smaller panels hanging above the large circular platform began to suddenly flex and reorient as a mechanic whirring sounded. 

_ Oh my God, that's so cool! Oh shit--better hide. _

From within a brilliant light, nine bodies appeared, oriented around the platform. 

From behind a pillar, he peeked out and observed the newly returned group. It wasn't until they had each lowered their helmet that he could identify the blue face he was searching for. 

“Did we get them all?” asked Steve.

“Don’t tell me this actually worked,” said Rhodey with a grin.

Clint was scowling and he stepped down with a thud. Upon seeing Clint’s face, Dr. Banner asked, “Clint, where’s Nat?” And then there was silence. Clint looked grief-stricken and didn’t know what to say, opting to say silent. But his silence was painstakingly clear: Something went wrong. And Nat wasn’t coming back.

Peter felt like he was suddenly intruding on a moment he wasn't supposed to see. After all, he hadn't really known Natasha Romanov. The most interaction they had really was in Germany and that was...well there hadn't been a lot of team building activities or interactions beyond the fight itself. But he felt the sinking pit in his stomach as the pain permeating the space was palpable. Dr. Banner punched the base of the platform in grief. 

“Let's put the stones away in a safe place and then...let's take a breather and process whatever just happened. Sound like a plan?” asked Steve, addressing the group. 

The group responded with hesitant nods, exiting the platform they had just returned to more solemnly than they had arrived. 

_ Oh God... This is really awkward... Do I say something now? Wait? When is a good time to pop in from the future and announce it? _

Peter wasn't sure if there was ever going to be a good time to announce his presence. But maybe it'd be best to wait a little longer. He could keep an eye on Nebula and ensure that there isn't any funny business. He began to back up a bit -- _ thud. _He had tripped over a thick cable and bruised his ass for the second time in the past five minutes. 

“Who's there?” asked an alarmed Tony Stark, pressing a hand against his chest and activating the Iron Man suit nanites to encompass his form. “Friday, talk to me. Who else is here?”

_ Holy shit. They are going to find me. _He tried to crawl backwards awkwardly on his hands, but was quickly surrounded by the remaining Avengers. 

He turned his head to observe the surviving group. “H-hey, guys. Long time no see,” Peter smiled bashfully. 

His eyes settled on the Iron Man mask, sending an imploring gaze through it to Tony. The emotionless face cover stared back at him before finally opening and revealing a face contorted in pain and wonder. “_Kid _?” was all that came off Tony's lips. 

“This isn't a trick, I promise,” Peter started to reassure his mentor, while getting to his feet, just before the aforementioned man encased the boy in a bear hug. 

“Oh wow. This is nice.” Tony's body heat radiated onto Peter’s skin where their necks made contact. The warmth of the familiar presence was more comforting than Peter remembered. It had only been two weeks since their last encounter...but he'd be the only one between them to remember that fact. 

The other Avengers stood idly by, observing the reunion before the silent exchange was broken. 

“Uh...not to interrupt the moment, you guys,” began Bruce, motioning towards Peter and Tony before crossing his arms. “But how are you here?”

“We haven't even used the stones yet,” said Rhodey.

“Are you still certain that changing the past doesn’t change the future?” asked a slightly smug Scott Lang to Dr. Banner.

“Yes,” the doctor replied immediately. “Wait a second -- what did you change?” He eyed Scott suspiciously. 

Scott's eyes went wide in chagrin. “Uh...pfft. Nothing major.” He tried to brush off the questioning, making dramatic expressions of indifference. “There may have been a..._ mild _ kerfuffle in 2012... with a...Snape looking character escaping with the space stone.” 

“The hell is a ‘Snape'?” questioned a curious Rocket. 

“I believe he is referring to my brother,” said Thor. “They had a similar hairstyle: greasy and longish.”

“Oh geez,” muttered Rhodey, arms crossed about his chest and punching the bridge of his nose. 

Bruce could only muster a blank stare before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “Congrats, you managed to make an alternate timeline where another Thanos can wreak havoc.”

Scott looked like a scolded kid. “It wasn't _ just _ me,” he muttered. 

“I really missed you, kid,” Tony whispered to Peter as he released from their hug. Immediately afterwards, Tony clapped a hand on Peter's shoulder, maintaining a light, but firm grip, as if the physical touch verified his presence in their reality. 

“Queens?” questioned Steve. “How did you end up here?”

“Uh...it's kind of a long story. But the wizard -- Dr. Strange -- he sent me back here. I'm not sure what else I can reveal without making the timeline implode though… He also didn’t tell me much...” Peter finished awkwardly. "Sending me back must not disrupt the timeline much or something. Not sure."

“So you time travelled here,” clarified Bruce. 

“Essentially... yeah,” replied Peter.

“Got any lotto numbers?” asked Rocket. 

“What went wrong?” asked Clint, finally breaking his silence.

Peter didn't know how to respond to Clint's question. His mouth was agape as he floundered for an appropriate answer... "Everything?" Peter offered, looking down and scrunching his eyebrows together. He looked to review the faces around him, feeling uncomfortable and on display. He accidentally ended up staring at Nebula for too long and the moment she locked suspicious eyes with his, he quickly looked elsewhere and tried to be nonchalant. 

“What do you want, child? You have something to say? _Say it_.” Nebulas voice was harsh and unforgiving. 

Peter was taken aback. _ Oh God. How do I respond? _He swallowed hard. At least he avoided further answering Clint’s question.

“How do we know we can trust you?” Peter finally asked bluntly, looking directly Nebula. 

“What do you mean, kid?” asked Tony, giving his shoulder a couple squeezes as he spoke. “The blue meanie fought with us on Titan remember? She's just a little...unsociable. It's been a rough five years -- on all of us really.” He looked around and gestured at the group.

Rhodey spoke up next. “She was with me on Morag when we retrieved the Power stone. We came back at the same exact time. No chance for any funny business -- _ promise _.” Rhodey flashed a smile that implied that there was nothing to worry about. 

Peter felt a lump in his throat. He felt extremely nervous about how to respond and pursue this line of inquiry. He wanted to trust Tony and Rhodey, but...his gut nagged at him. "From what I understand," he started slowly. "She betrays us." 

The blue alien didn't flinch and continued to stare at him with her her ever present scowl. 

"Why would she go through all this effort just to betray us?" questioned Rocket. "And betray us how? Thanos is already dead. And she tried to kill the guy herself. We used to be on opposite sides, but she's really changed... Alright, this is getting too mushy." 

"Well, we fight another Thanos. Maybe one from the past?" offered Peter, trying to rationalize the situation. "She lets him through somehow. I don't know."

"Did Dr. Strange tell you anything else?" asked Steve.

"No," Peter said quietly. "He just said that this was 'always part of the plan' and then he literally pushed me through a portal and I ended up here minutes before you arrived back. So something happens after you get back. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do."

Steve looked over at Nebula and considered a possible time double, but there was no way to know. She looked exactly the same. Her attitude was cold, but it was pretty much always distant. He wasn't really sure how the whole time travel thing worked, so he couldn't say whether it was possible for there to be a time lapse where she could've been compromised.

"Hey, Nebula, what game did we play while we were stranded in space on Thanos's flying donut ship?" asked Tony.

"Um...it was a game where you flick a folded paper. I believe it was called paper football." Nebula responded slowly and deliberately.

"That's exactly right! See how could she know that if she was a... time spy from the past?" Tony seemed unconcerned.

Peter eyed Nebula, not certain he bought her story. But he was afraid to oppose the certainty of the group he found himself in. They really trusted her and as far as they were concerned or were aware, not a second had passed where her presence wasn’t accounted for between their departure, execution of the mission, or their return. Dr. Strange wouldn’t have said what he said for no reason though… Despite the apparent onslaught of positive evidence and testimony, doubt remained settled in his gut.

Is the betrayal supposed to be today? Next week? Next month? He wasn't sure how to reconcile Dr. Strange's warning with his present circumstances. 

_ Enjoy the time you have with Mr. Stark. You don’t know when it will end. _The desperately naive, but comforting wish crept to the forefront of his mind. He could relax a little, right? As long as he kept a watchful eye over Nebula and ensured that there weren’t going to be any treacherous acts, everything would turn out fine, right? Peter needed to convince himself. Besides, he wasn't even sure how far back he was sent in time. 

Seeing Peter's hesitation, Tony put both hands on his shoulders and searched the kid's face, trying to determine how to best approach this. "Look -- Peter -- I don't know what you've been through or why Strange chose to send you back. I'm literally shaking with excitement to see you and I _trust _you wholeheartedly, but I trust her too. She saved my life. And with time, I think you'll grow to trust her too." Tony continued analyzing Peter's face, "But in the meantime -- if it makes you feel better -- we can ensure she's with us at all times. How does that sound?"

_Tony really has the whole 'dad' thing down, doesn't he? _It was a rational solution. It was fair to both parties. But the cognitive dissonance was unnerving. How was he supposed to reconcile the conflicting information from two trusted and verifiable sources? Perhaps the best method for the short term would be a watch and wait method -- gather more data before coming to a conclusion. 

Peter nodded hesitantly, "Ok." 

He quashed the doubtful thoughts and conformed his mindset to that of the greater team. He trusted them wholeheartedly. _As long as I'm vigilant, everything will turn out fine._

\----

After some time grieving and processing Nat's loss -- and the understanding of its finality -- they got back to work. Using the readings of the stone’s prior use in 2018, they were able to determine a minimum energy threshold that the new gauntlet they were creating would have to withstand. They had the stones in a single case where they emanated a dizzying radiation of raw energy and power. 

Peter was actually pretty excited to help create the new gauntlet. Working with Dr. Banner, Rocket, and, of course, Tony was a dream come true. Especially after the events of the past few weeks when he thought he'd never get the chance to again. 

“So how do we get the stones to stay in the gauntlet? It seemed almost magnetic or something when Thanos added the time stone. Or would it be electromagnetic since it's giving off energy too? How would we even measure the force needed to keep the stones in the little wells?” Peter rambled away with boundless curiosity over the possible physical and chemical properties of the stones and how they'd create a new gauntlet. 

“The base of the glove is a vibranium alloy mixed with nanites,” replied Tony, surprisingly engaged. “The vibranium, being a part of the actinide series, absorbs energy and-- well, actually there’s a debate where it should be on the periodic table.” Tony digressed, but Peter was completely enthralled. “It obviously has radioactive properties and yet, unlike uranium, its super light, and unlike every element after it, it’s ridiculously stable. It doesn’t make sense and yet here I have it in my hands. But anyway--vibranium absorbs energy and the nanites help mold to the stone as the vibranium attracts the stone as well, creating a strong, durable bond.” Tony had a slight smirk on his face. “It’s cool stuff.”

Peter’s eyes were as wide as saucers in awe and wonder. “That’s _ so _ cool!”

“Ok, Bill Nye,” said Banner. “Cool it with the commentary.”

“Please tell me the secret of how I get you to shut up,” quipped Rocket. “I’d really appreciate it.”

“Can it, Pooh Bear,” replied Tony smoothly, “and pass me the case with the stones. I want to test how this holds.”

The sentient raccoon grudgingly did as he was bid and passed the briefcase to Tony. 

Attaching the stones proved to be a simple task. Tony, utilizing a virtual, holographic interface, manipulated various mechanical arms that each held a stone. He inched them forward and the glove rearranged in an endocytic fashion to have little wells as the stones were moved closer, before finally being absorbed in the iron guantlet’s surface. 

“Boo!” shouted Rocket, causing Tony and Peter to jump a little in response. Bruce stood unaffected. Tony turned to face him and stared the mischievous raccoon down. 

The infinity stones shone brightly against the vibranium nanite glove, still oozing with palpable power.

“Kid, go grab the others,” asked Tony. 

Peter went and retrieved the other Avengers in the neighboring room, including Nebula. She seemed very disinterested with the whole affair, despite her apparent role in their current circumstances. 

“We did it,” said Bruce, smiling.

“Of course we did,” replied Rocket, offhandedly. “Alright, the glove’s ready. Only question now is: who’s gonna snap their freakin’ fingers?”

Thor immediately stood up and sauntered over, raising his hand. “I’ll do it.” 

“Excuse me?” asked Tony.

“It’s ok,” continued Thor, almost arriving at the glove itself. 

“He-he-hey,” began Steve as Tony bluntly said, “Stop.” They, including Scott and Clint, put up their hands to physically stop Thor from reaching the gauntlet.

“Wait, wait, Thor. Wait,” continued Steve as the group lowered their hands from Thor’s chest. “We haven’t decided who’s gonna put that on yet.” 

Thor took a couple deep breaths, before asking a little sarcastically, “Well, I’m sorry. We’re all just sitting around waiting for the right opportunity?”

“We should at least discuss it,” countered Scott.

Thor turned to face him, “Look, look. Sitting here staring at the thing is not going to bring everybody back.” He paused before continuing, “I’m the strongest Avenger. This responsibility falls upon me. It’s my duty--.” Tony walked toward him to intercede once more, interrupting the Norse god. “It’s not that--sshhhh. Stop it! Just let me.” Thor grabbed Tony’s hands in his own, eyes sincere and pleading. “Just let me do it,” he begged softly. “Just let me do something good. Something right.”

“Look,” replied Tony with a father’s authority, “It’s not just that glove is channeling enough energy to light up a continent -- I’m telling you -- you’re in no condition.”

Thor’s eyes glinted with mirth. “What do you think is coursing through my veins right now?”

“Cheese whiz,” quipped Rhodey, arms crossed.

“Funyuns?” offered Peter.

Thor looked at them both for a moment with a mild huff before turning back to Tony and placing his hands on either side of his shoulders. “_Lightning _.”

“Yeah...,” a whisper was all Tony could muster.

“Lightning won’t help you pal,” said Bruce, finally speaking up. “It’s gotta be me.”

Thor shook his head as Tony shrugged off his hands.

“You saw what those stones did to Thanos. It almost killed him. None of you could survive,” said Bruce.

“How do we know you will?” asked Steve.

“We don’t. But the radiation is mostly gamma.” Bruce looked resolute in his conclusion. “It’s like -- uh...I was made for this.” Bruce nodded his head as if confirming his own words. He walked over to where the gauntlet lay.

The hairs on the back of Peter’s neck stood on end in alarm. Something was wrong. 

_ Nebula _. 

“You good to go?” asked Tony.

Peter swivelled his head until found her lazily leaning against a pillar in the corner, blandly staring at the group before her.

“Yeah,” replied Bruce, the new tech now cradled in his hands. “Let’s do it.” He eyed Tony.

_ This doesn’t make sense, if she’s here...then what’s wrong? _

“Yeah…?” Tony responded. “Remember -- everyone Thanos snapped away five years ago -- you’re just bringing them back. To now. Today. Don’t change anything from the last five years.”

Peter wasn’t sure what to do and began to internally panic. Was there something wrong with the gauntlet? Was it going to backfire? 

“Ok. I’m good,” said Bruce.

Peter looked back over to Nebula’s nonchalant form warily, uncertain of what her role was. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end in itching apprehension. He had to say something. “Wait!”

“What?” asked Tony. “Why? Everything is going according to plan. Nebula’s right there... Friday, go ahead and activate Barn Door Protocol will you.”

“Please wait! Something’s wrong!” Peter objected as his spidey sense tingled in acute alarm. But it was too late, the extra protection shields closed every entrance and over every window. He was trapped. 

“Friday, let me out!” pleaded Peter, finding any and all potential exits sealed.

“No can do, Peter. I can’t override the Boss,” the AI replied.

Peter’s heart sank as he knew he was trapped. What if this was the call of betrayal? But how could she be here, apparently doing nothing suspicious…. Peter squeezed his eyes shut in frustration. This wasn’t making sense. 

“Kid, gear up,” said Tony as he activated his own suit to encompass his form. “Something is more likely to go wrong if you don’t.”

Grudgingly, Peter did as he was told while wracking his brain for potential circumstances that could be ongoing. He looked at Nebula again, pondering her presence while Bruce proceeded with the second Snap. Peter’s mask materialized over his face.

“Everybody comes home,” whispered Dr. Banner. The nanites of the iron gauntlet reconfigured to accommodate the size of Bruce’s hand. 

Instantaneously, the stones synergistically surged with an unprecedented power that conducted and travelled up Dr. Banner's right arm. It was difficult to see through the stone’s glow, but even more impossible to look away. The sheer energy density glowed brilliantly and brought the Hulk down onto his right knee. He groaned in resistance of their overwhelming power.

“Take it off! Take it off!” yelled Thor. 

The fabric of his shirt and the underlying flesh charred and burned as the energy continued to crackle up through to his neck and lower right jaw. 

“No -- wait,” said Steve. “Bruce, are you alright?”

“Talk to me, Banner,” said Tony, his form protected by a nanite shield.

Banner grunted in response. “Yeah,” he breathed out. “I’m...alright.” He attempted to raise his gauntlet encased hand and orient his fingers appropriately to initiate a ‘snap’ but the magnitude of the energy field created by the stones seemed to repel this motion. Yelling a warrior’s cry and with a final culmination of pure willpower, Bruce snapped his fingers. 

Professor Hulk immediately fainted; the singed and smoking gauntlet fell off his hand and landed with a thud on the floor.

“Bruce!” yelled Steve, rushing to his side as Clint kicked the smoking glove to the side.

“Don’t move him!” ordered Tony. He immediately began spraying the affected length of Bruce’s arm with nanites.

Bruce was panting, eyes closed and teeth clenched. He gripped Steve’s arm in pain as Tony continued his work.

Was this damage what his extra sense was warning him about? He checked on Nebula’s position once more to find her still present, but something still bothered him. He had Karen turn on the infrared scanner for heat signature… She didn’t have one. 

Filled with unnerving shock and disbelief, he approached her to confirm his suspicions. 

“Yes, child?” she asked, with an arguably forced smile that came off more as a sneer.

He didn’t say anything and merely reached out his hand to grab at her for his hand to merely pass through. _ Dammit! _ Her face contorted into a scowl and an intimidating glare. _S__he was a hologram and hadn’t actually been here the entire time! It all makes sense now. _

The moment Peter heard the metal shields retract from the windows and doorways, he bounded to the doorway. He immediately had Karen search for a biotic presence elsewhere in the facility. _ The hangar with the quantum tunnel? Uh-oh. _

Peter closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Please let him be in time. He arrived in the hangar and looked up to shoot a web at a beam when he noticed the massive hole in the ceiling where the tunnel used to be. And he couldn’t miss the all too familiar spaceship of Thanos and impending onslaught of photon blasting laser cannons. 

Time seemed to freeze for a moment as he watched the photonic beam fire, travelling towards them. And then...chaos reigned once again.

\-----

  
A/N: Let me know what you guys think! I greatly appreciate all of your responses thus far! You guys make me smile! :D

Update: Due to understandable comments, I edited and further fleshed out the chapter to plug previous plot holes. To put Peter's mindset in perspective, in a span of a few hours he has been introduced to various conflicting sources of information and is plagued by cognitive dissonance. His overriding desire to be with Tony and take advantage of his present circumstances causes him to ease that internal conflict by conforming to the ideals and beliefs of the current in group. It's all basic social psychology. While Peter is smart, he is also currently emotionally vulnerable, and thereby prone to mistakes and errors in judgement. 


End file.
